You have to be refering to the secret pets my trained killers were sharing their food withhad i known my jack russels were sighned up with a doggy mice humane society ? i may not have bothered feeding them i can,t wait to see how they deal with snake,s I wonder how long they will last without some sort of survival training ?? Currently it looks like the wife will have to get up early and check the garden for snakes

my comments may be wrong but never deliberatelyIf it aint broke, dont fix it

My thai language beginners guide is awakening me to the thai 6 hour clock according to which it's 2 o'clock 4x a day. at 2am, 8am, 2pm and 8pm. etc.. I'm quite pleased really because when I've asked on occassion what time a bar closes and get told 5 o'clock.. no, 11o'clock... no, I've thought, crumbs.. what the?!! It all makes sense now so some sanity restored. I don't think time's much of an issue in thailand. When I ask my girlfriend what time it is and it's 10.55 she'll say 10 o'clock. So, I'll say well, it's 11 o'clock.. almost. No. 10.55.. 10 o'clock she'll insist. It seems the minute hand doesn't count all that much in the countryside anyway, it's just part of the internal invisible workings of the clock so unless your a clock repair man why get technical. Suits me. Just wish my boss here in england thought the same

Nor does the hour hand. Dawn is time to get up. The hottest time of day, usually around 1 p.m., is time for a nap. Sunset is time for bed.Unless of course you frequent the bar-industry either as customer or employee then it's 1 p.m. time to get up, sunset time to eat, dawn time for bed.

I was trying to find a suitable thread to post this and thought that observations might cover it.I recently started watching a show on the BBC called Holmes on Homes. It is a Canadian television show that follows Mike Holmes, a builder who is called in after the damage to a house is done and the homeowners have been fleeced. This includes new home owners who have bought houses in an "estate" all built by the same builder (to find that when it snows they have snow in their ceiling). It's about building inspectors not doing their job properly, about fly by night builders, bad builders and greedy builders mostly in Canada. It's about builders taking on modifications they have no idea about. Anyway you'll get the picture if you watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkbnwLDK ... re=related All, or most of his shows are available on You Tube, just follow the last thread.To the homeowners he's a hero, to the building crooks he's their conscience, but throughout he explains the Canadian and American building code in great detail. He also shows how to use drywall, the grades and other topics in this forum. The show is so popular in Canada it aced all the ratings and is back for the 2012 season. Unfortunately most of the houses he works on are built of wood, but if even one person get's an idea of why and how a part of the build should be done, or even gets an idea of how it should be done correctly, then the time you spend watching the videos are well worth the effort.A thing to remember is that this is Canada with all the rules and regulations and it still happens. You can't lay the blame at the feet of Thailand that has few rules and regulations, no building inspectors and farmers doing a builder's job. I think it's about time Thailand opened a serious training institute for would-be builders and most of all, started an apprentice scheme.

RR heres an observation one side of me agree,s that lack of education is wrong the other questions do i have the right to make that judgement Its like the refugee camps in africa flooded with people from neighboring countries and supported for years by charity now they cannot will not return to their own country and land because they have a better life in a camp where they are provided for ?? 25 years ago a friend went to Ghana on holiday he was struck by the poverty in one small village he came across loads of kids varying ages sitting under a huge tree that was their school He came back to uk with loads of picture,s determined to give a better life to the kids he was very succesful over a No of years built a school even sent an old couple of minibuses and a coach overland for them generators /air con (i boxed 20 s/hand units) all the trappings books everything this has become something that has been expanded on over time now the school has probably got a minimum budget to be raised to continue ? walking away is not an option but has he improved the live,s of those kids or destroyed them having a good education is that not going to intefere with mum/dads plans for them at some point taking over the important job of loking after the family stock/farm which is what is keeping them and their family fed ?Its a bit like child labour every so often a big company will be exposed as having their product manufacture in a third world country where child labour is being exploited and close down the operation ? I am totally 100% against children being exploited in any way whatever but i am also a realist what good does it do when these companies take their order elswhere and make a big furore about it for a week or two sack a couple of people and tell the new lot to cover their tracks a bit better Its wrong i know but those kids are providing an income to their family of sorts working in a sweatshop is the bottom of the list really children are exploited in far worse manner,s but is closing the sweatshops not driving them into a worse existence possibly into anther sweatshop for their domestic markets or begging rooting through rubbish tips ect:I personally don,t think anyone tackle the root cause just knee jerk reaction getting the kids out of the sweatshop is easy cancel the order book but how about taking a look at why they are there in the first placeand resolve it in a more diplomatic manner ""over time"" as happend in england child labour will be abolishedmeanwhile what right do we have to interfere in other people,s culture

my comments may be wrong but never deliberatelyIf it aint broke, dont fix it

Geordie,You misconstrued what I posted Holmes on Homes for. I posted it so that would be builders in Thailand will know how it is done properly in other countries.... and how it can still be screwed up by greedy builders and contractors who have little or no knowledge of how it should be done and no inclination to do it the right way anyway. It was posted to educate people with little knowledge about the pitfalls of building anywhere, not just Thailand where you must aim for the lowest common denominator.I have said all along that to do a job properly one must be there the whole time... and even then that can be a disaster. When I posted Holmes on Homes it was for members with little or no building experience so they could look at what they might achieve if they get the right builder. In other words it was an educational lead to what is available on the web, besides this forum.

Nope got that bit we had a similar program in uk for years ? it was the start an aprentiship training schemefor the would be builders here the comparison (my thoughts) are if you interfere will you give the recipient an inflated opinion of his self worth i e : i am a carpenter ? why should i carry blocks or make concrete that a labourers job we tend to interfere and condem others without looking at cause and effect will it end as in the uk people sitting at home out of work because the job does not suit them I have a son who after marrying and having a child fell out of work he wanted to get another position in/as a para legal not easy but it fell on me as his father to make sure he wife and child were ok financially my other two sons had a row with him explaining that there were other jobs (lesser paid) available they had a go at me for supporting him finacially with as needed bailouts when i moved here he decided he better take a lesser paid job and even if it meant reducing his standard of living get back into work the idea of working over and above his 40 hour week he finds disgusting he has a child he wishes to spend time with her? I spent most of my life doing ""extra work"" to raise an arsehole The other two in comparison are flying working 50 -60 -70 hours a week but also enjoying life to the full Either one of those at a pinch would take another job to maintain an income certainly not sit indoors saying i am qualified as ?? Thats the danger education creates a wish/demand for more teach a guy carpentry he can and will choose to turn down work he considers beneath him things can and will evolvehere but at a pace the country/population can maintain

my comments may be wrong but never deliberatelyIf it aint broke, dont fix it

geordie wrote:RR heres an observation one side of me agree,s that lack of education is wrong the other questions do i have the right to make that judgement Its like the refugee camps in africa flooded with people from neighboring countries and supported for years by charity now they cannot will not return to their own country and land because they have a better life in a camp where they are provided for ?? 25 years ago a friend went to Ghana on holiday he was struck by the poverty in one small village he came across loads of kids varying ages sitting under a huge tree that was their school He came back to uk with loads of picture,s determined to give a better life to the kids he was very succesful over a No of years built a school even sent an old couple of minibuses and a coach overland for them generators /air con (i boxed 20 s/hand units) all the trappings books everything this has become something that has been expanded on over time now the school has probably got a minimum budget to be raised to continue ? walking away is not an option but has he improved the live,s of those kids or destroyed them having a good education is that not going to intefere with mum/dads plans for them at some point taking over the important job of loking after the family stock/farm which is what is keeping them and their family fed ?Its a bit like child labour every so often a big company will be exposed as having their product manufacture in a third world country where child labour is being exploited and close down the operation ? I am totally 100% against children being exploited in any way whatever but i am also a realist what good does it do when these companies take their order elswhere and make a big furore about it for a week or two sack a couple of people and tell the new lot to cover their tracks a bit better Its wrong i know but those kids are providing an income to their family of sorts working in a sweatshop is the bottom of the list really children are exploited in far worse manner,s but is closing the sweatshops not driving them into a worse existence possibly into anther sweatshop for their domestic markets or begging rooting through rubbish tips ect:I personally don,t think anyone tackle the root cause just knee jerk reaction getting the kids out of the sweatshop is easy cancel the order book but how about taking a look at why they are there in the first placeand resolve it in a more diplomatic manner ""over time"" as happend in england child labour will be abolishedmeanwhile what right do we have to interfere in other people,s culture

Well said, people like that really piss me off. Trying to apply "our" standards here IE: hours/work age of workers etc....BUT They never have a plan to replace the $$$ the people are earning. They just get on their soapbox and scream "exploited" .......You said it better than I could ThanksM&N

I don't know guys, I am of the opinion that education always improves peoples lives,and as far as child labor, is concerned, well enough said about that.but I get the point, educated people with no ability to apply their education,could get very frustrated,and it does bread discontent, but discontent some times is a good thing, it motivates people to apply change. But removing a pretty shitty system of child labor, with our replacing it with a better system is just as shitty or worst.

sirineou wrote:I don't know guys, I am of the opinion that education always improves peoples lives,and as far as child labor, is concerned, well enough said about that.but I get the point, educated people with no ability to apply their education,could get very frustrated,and it does bread discontent, but discontent some times is a good thing, it motivates people to apply change. But removing a pretty shitty system of child labor, with our replacing it with a better system is just as shitty or worst.

I am not and do not advocate child labour or abuse in any way and very intolerant of it to the extent i will interfere The quetion is how far do we intefere a mother chastising her child in a store is easy as is the father embarass the hell out of them ask would they like a smack around the head=interfereing but who knows maybe delaying the inevitable if they are that way inclined the child will receieve the punishment later anyway

Goverments and individuals interfere on a massive scale but then end up with a massive liability children born in a refugee camp ? Ten years down the road you close the camp and tell them all go home we cannot be doing this ?? where does thet leave the child who is as far as his ten years dictate "home already"Child labour wrong as it is do we get rid of it or drive it behind closed doors making even more unsavory practices in country,s where it is semi acceptable conditions are harsh and to us culturally totally unaccepatble but to the child who is maybe supporting a sick mother no father and younger siblings at least they have an income Should we not look at the deeper issues we are more than happy to condem but realistically we have no solution so is it not as well to let the situation to resolve itself to a degree instead of closing the sweatshops lets interfere another way insist on "reasonable hours/conditions " help out a bit at a time demand the children get taught basic,s read write arithmatic bettering their chance of getting out of the "slavery imposed on them by circumstance ? india probably one of the worst offenders has some very very wealthy people what do they do other than a few = nothing its a situation that can only get worse if you interfere

my comments may be wrong but never deliberatelyIf it aint broke, dont fix it